NHL fantasy hockey is around the corner. We look at one rankings list to see which Pittsburgh Penguins made the cut.
NHL pre-season hockey has already started, so the regular season is approaching. Hockey fans worldwide are gearing up for the 2024-25 season, which will bring a new year of fantasy hockey.
As hockey managers prepare for drafts, many may wonder where several Pittsburgh Penguins star players rank. Hundreds of rankings are out there, including ours at The Hockey News.
Today, we want to see how EP Rinkside ranks the big names in the Penguins lineup and whether or not their position is justified. Those who have Premium access to their website can download the NHL Fantasy Guide 2024-25 for free.
We don't want to spoil anyone's hard work, so we will not reveal any specific rankings assigned to a player, just a range of where they have fallen.
For example, Sidney Crosby is the only Penguins player to get ranked in the top 50, and unlike his EA Sports NHL 25 rating, he is no longer considered a top 10 fantasy draft pick. Hopefully, he proves the doubters wrong one more time.
Surprisingly, two other Pittsburgh players got their name ranked within the top 100, and one of them was quite a surprise. First, there's Erik Karlsson, a no-brainer as an elite defenseman in the league despite his significant drop-off in points last year.
However, the second name to crack the top 100 is goalie Tristian Jarry, an odd ranking since he wasn't even the team's number-one goalie during the Penguins' late-season push for a playoff spot. Stranger things have happened, but Jarry is poised for a bounce-back campaign or risk losing his job to someone else.
Unfortunately, Evgeni Malkin dropped out of the top 100 and barely stayed within the top 150, even though he had 27 goals and 67 points in 2023-24.
Rounding out names within the top 200 include Kris Letang (51 points), Bryan Rust (56 points), and Michael Bunting (55 points). Letang is at the tail end of his career, while Rust had a career year with 28 goals. Meanwhile, Bunting is about to play his first full season in Pittsburgh and produced at a .90 points per game pace in limited time after the Jake Guentzel trade.
The final 153 spots of this 303-player rankings feature three Penguins players: Rickard Rakell (37 points), Kevin Hayes (29 points), and Anthony Beauvillier (17 points). Of the trio, only Rakell spent last season in Pittsburgh, while Hayes comes in from the St. Louis Blues and Beauviller from the Nashville Predators.
Moreover, Rakell has the opportunity to be a top-six player in the Penguins lineup, while Hayes and Beauvillier are depth forwards.
There you have it. EP Rinkside ranked 10 2024-25 Penguins members in their fantasy hockey rankings. Did anyone get snubbed? Are skaters ranked in the proper places? Let us know in the comments.
Bookmark THN's Pittsburgh Penguins site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.